It's Not a Hobby- It's Post-Apocalyptic Skills

Knitting:  It's not a hobby; it's a post-apocalyptic life skill.  

This was written on one of those many boards on Pinterest and the poster said that with her skills- gardening, sewing, cooking, knitting,etc. surely she would be useful if there was an apocalypse.

 I identify with her comment.  Since I can't fight, run very fast, and don't know how to use any kind of weapon, I would have to make myself useful in other ways. Fingers and toes crossed, it never comes to that!

But funny about that. For a few decades there the idea of an apocalypse never crossed our minds.  Now it seems possible even if not probable and, for many even imminent.  The world and its leaders have all seemed to have gotten less trustworthy.  The weather seems crazier; the idea of aliens seems getting closer to a reality.  The sense of something shifting is happening.

Meanwhile as I hone those post apocalyptic skills...

This is wool I bought a while back when it had a small markdown.  It is Lion Brand Homespun which you can perhaps see in the photo.  The wool is very soft and I immediately thought of making a shawl or wrap out of it.
  I have been looking  through some of my favourite web sites to find a pattern that would be easy and not too challenging for me with my beginner knitting skills. I checked out Purl Bee which I love for its photos and very nice projects.  Their retrospective on 2013 projects is inspirational.  I saw a wrap there that I absolutely loved.  It is called Amazing Seed Stitch Wrap and I know I could manage the directions fine.  However, my wool is rather loopy and I'm not sure it would show seed stitch as nicely as the wool chosen in the pattern.  I have put it in my favourites list for future ogling.

I spent a lot of time viewing the large bank of free patterns on Ravelry.  Though you have to join their site which takes just a minute, it gives you access to a wealth of patterns for both the novice knitter and the advanced.  Definitely lots of choice for me.

I decided since my wool is Lion Brand to check out their web site.  You have to sign up like with Ravelry, which again is very fast, and then you get to view all the thousands of patterns they have in storage.  I checked out what they had for my particular wool...Homespun and there it was...my pattern.

  It is called Easy Triangle Shawl, uses three of the Homespun balls if knit on size 9mm needles and is just like it sounds.  I know that even I can do it.

Cast on 3 stitches. Row 1- Knit
Row 2- K1, yarn over, K
Repeat  Row 2 till work measures 35 inches and there are 143 stitches on the needles. 
I will look forward to beginning this project tonight.

I had written about my fear of slipping and falling on ice.  I heard on the radio today that Emergency Rooms at the local hospitals recorded over 500 patients having to receive treatment for 'slip and fall' accidents during last weeks icy weather.  So see, slipping on ice is no joke.  My case of slipitis continues.  Be careful out there.